Marlin Network will continue to be led by Dennis Marlin, who founded the company in 1985, and the division will continue to be based in Springfield. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Marlin told the News-Leader that Advantage approached Marlin about the deal after a search in the marketplace.

“Our partnership with Advantage will provide us with greater access to resources and talent to help brands reach consumers at home and away from home,” he said in a news release. “We will generate more impactful programs through better synchronization with sales strategies and deeper investment in data and analytics, expand our operating geographies, and offer new opportunities for our talented associates here in Springfield and throughout North America.”

Advantage, founded in 1987, is a sales and marketing agency with more than 40,000 employees that does work across the grocery, drugstore, club, convenience, natural/specialty, consumer electronics, home center and food service industries. Marlin Network will be the company’s entry to the marketing side of the food service industry, Dennis Marlin said.

“This is exciting news for Advantage,” Advantage CEO Tanya Domier said in the release. “Together with Waypoint, our foodservice sales organization, we now offer services that encompass coverage from point-of-purchase through to point-of-consumption for brands and operators. This acquisition also enhances our marketing expertise, and improves our value proposition and effectiveness for a variety of clients, customers and industries.”

Marlin Network became employee-owned in 2012; employee stock ownership plans lets employees accumulate shares of stock, which they can sell back to the company when they retire. Employees were represented by an independent trustee throughout the acquisition process, Marlin said.

“Since the employees are the primary owners of the company, they’re the primary beneficiaries of the acquisition,” he said.